Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 30: Ahead of the assembly election in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday released the final list of electoral rolls concluding the controversial “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) exercise with over 21 lakh voters added compared to the draft list.
The SIR, which the ECI said was intended to ensure only eligible voters remain on the electoral rolls and include those that are missing, had come under intense scrutiny and criticism by the Opposition.
Questioning the timing of the revision, just months before the elections, leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and others, including RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, had also taken out a ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, accusing the Election Commission of attempting to help the ruling coalition.
In the revision, which was being done after a gap of 22 years, 65 lakh voters had been removed from the draft electoral rolls, including those who had died, permanently moved out of Bihar, or were registered as voters in multiple locations. The Supreme Court is also hearing petitions against the exercise.
In the final rolls released on Tuesday, the number of voters has gone up by 18 lakh compared to the draft list, which was put out on August 1. The number after that list was 7.24 crore, which has now increased to 7.42 crore. The total number of electors as on June 24 – when the SIR was announced – was 7.89 crore.
The actual addition compared to the draft list, officials said, is 21.53 lakh, but the figure got reduced to 18 lakh as 3.66 lakh voters were removed. These voters had filled up enumeration forms and had got included in the draft list, but failed to submit the supporting documents.
As many as 88,108 voters have increased in Muzaffarpur district, from 32,03,370 in the draft roll to 32,91,478 now. In Patna district, the number has gone up by 1,63,600 and by 30,491 in Nawada district. Physical and Digital Copies of final electoral roll are being shared with political parties, and any elector can check it online.
“This large-scale exercise was made successful through the sincere efforts of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Bihar, District Election Officers (DEDs) of all 38 districts, 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 2.976 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), around 1 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs), lakhs of volunteers and the full involvement of all the 12 major Political Parties, including their district presidents and over 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by them,” Mr Singh stated in the note.
ECI congratulated people of Bihar, Election Officials, Political Parties and other key stakeholders on the successful completion of the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar. Mr Singh further stated, “Regular meetings with political parties were conducted to explain SIR process and keep them informed throughout by 20 July 2025.
He added that CEO/DEOS/EROs/BLOs had shared booth-level lists with political parties of electors who were reported as deceased, whose enumeration forms were not received, who had permanently migrated, or who could not be traced, with the objective of identifying eligible voters.
Mr Singh also stated that Draft Electoral Roll was also shared with all political parties. Also, list of names not included in draft roll was displayed on DEO/DMs (district-wise) as well as on the CEO Bihar website for public viewing. He also clarified that SIR exercise was carried out in line with Article 326 of Constitution and ECC’s motto of “no eligible voter to be left out, and no ineligible person to be included in the Electoral rolls”
“If any eligible person still wishes to apply for inclusion of their name in the Electoral Roll, they can submit an application up to ten days before the last date for filing nominations for election,” Mr Singh said. As per ECI, if any person is not satisfied with the decision of ERO regarding an entry in final electoral roll, they may, under Section 24 of the Representation of People Act, 1950 can file a first appeal before District Magistrate and a second appeal before CEO.
Hearing a petition on September 8, the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar as proof of identity for addition to the voter list and include it in the list of 11 other documents for the purpose. It had clarified, however, that Aadhaar could not be used to establish citizenship.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymlaya Bagchi had said it believes that, being a constitutional body, the Election Commission was following the law and mandatory rules in carrying out the SIR process. At the same time, it said it would intervene and the entire process could be set aside if any illegality was found. “What difference will the final publication of the list make to us if we are satisfied there is some illegality?” Justice Kant had remarked during a later hearing on September 15.
The next hearing in the case is on October 7, and the Election Commission will visit Bihar to take stock of poll preparedness on October 4 and 5. The dates for the election are expected to be announced after that.
The Bihar BJP spokesperson Niraj Kumar said, “We welcome the final voter list of Bihar after SIR has been completed successfully. This is certainly a step towards strengthening democracy and will increase transparency in elections.” Janata Dal – (United) MLC and spokesperson of the party Neeraj Kumar slammed Opposition party for question the credibility of the ECI calling it a constitutional body.
“The opposition parties were raising finger on the ECI with the slogan of Vote Chori (vote theft) and now the final list has been published in which more than 21 lakh names have been added. In Bihar the maximum population is of marginalised section and their names have been added. The opposition is exposed now.”
Meanwhile, sources said the major parties of the opposition coalition in Bihar “Mahagathbandhan” have showed willingness to sacrifice some seats compared to the number of seats they contested in the 2020 elections to accommodate new partners. The Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress could give up at least a dozen seats each to accommodate other allies, including Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party. The final formula will depend on seat-wise deliberations between the allies.
As per sources, the RJD is likely to restrict itself to 130 seats, which is 14 less than the number it fought in the 2020 election. The Congress is also likely to agree to 58 seats, a dozen less than its 2020 count. The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist), which won 12 of the 19 seats it contested in 2020, could get eight more. The tally for the other Left parties — the CPI and CPI (Marxist) — may remain the same, with the former contesting six and the latter four.
There are three new entrants in the Mahagathbandhan, the VIP, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Pashupati Nath Paras’s Lok Janshakti Party. As per sources, the VIP could get 14 seats while the JMM and LJP may have to settle for two each.
Senior leaders from the three key constituents, the Congress, RJD and CPI(ML), however said the final seat-sharing arrangement will depend on “seat by seat deliberations.” “More than the party, we have to ensure that the candidate best suited for a constituency gets the ticket,” an RJD leader said.
The CPI(ML) quoting its strong performance in 2020 polls has laid claim to 40 seats. Many of the seats it sought were contested by the Congress and RJD in the last election.
The Congress is also sensing an opportunity for itself, with the spotlight firmly trained on Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who undertook the “Vote Adhikar Yatra” last month. Sources said it doesn’t mind getting fewer seats, but is keen that it is given “winnable” seats.
The rank and file are also getting anxious about the candidate list. Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Tariq Anwar, in a post on X on Saturday said, “The announcement of the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections could happen anytime. Supporters and workers of the Congress Party are eagerly awaiting the list of candidates. It is hoped that this time, honest, dedicated, and grassroots workers will be given priority.”